BDA Architects
post By:Kitticoon Poopong
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
Main Beach house is a modest, single family beach house designed to replace an existing dwelling on the site which the client had owned for a number of years.
The primary design idea was to embrace a two storey covered outdoor living space connecting the house and garden and overlooking the Broadwater.
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows 
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
The resulting design satisfies the clients¡¦ brief which included the following main elements:
- An elevated living area opening into the garden with views to the Broadwater
- A guest bedroom, bathroom, main entry and laundry on the main level
- A master suite, sitting area, office and separate bedroom on the upper level all with water views
- Car parking and storage below ground
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
The compact built form continues the two storey urban fabric characteristic of this part of Main Beach, along both street frontages, celebrating the street corner with a recessed double height, outdoor living space. Elevating the house 1.5m above the street optimises the view over parkland towards the water. This device has allowed both street frontages to be extensively landscaped using a ha ha combined with a lower than normal height street wall which affords privacy and views for the occupants while enhancing the public amenity of the streetscape.
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
Designed to take full advantage of prevailing summer breezes, this house contains a number of passive ESD initiatives. It possesses opening windows on all sides giving good natural ventilation. Northern and western elevations, which are extensively glazed, are shaded by operable louvred screens reducing solar gain in summer and allowing the sun to penetrate the interior during winter. More solid walls to the south exclude the cooler winter winds. Walls, floors and roofs are generally light coloured to reflect heat. A large subterranean water tank collects water for reuse on site and environmentally friendly finishes have been utilised throughout.
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
Materials comprise painted, rendered concrete masonry for external walls generally. Some areas of timber frame walls are clad in fibre cement sheet with aluminium cover battens recalling the beachside vernacular of Main Beach. The roof is steel framed and lined. Window frames and shutters are anodised aluminium. Flooring is generally white terrazzo with some areas of natural timber boarding.
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
The client was closely engaged in the design process, especially during the construction phase, which involved careful evaluation of both design and cost implications in relation to refinement of detail as the work proceeded on site.
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
Photo © Courtesy of Scott Burrows
The people
Architects: BDA Architects
Location: Broadwater, NSW, Australia
Photographs: Scott Burrows
via:e-architect
